MidPoint Goes to School

The deadline for submissions from artists
interested in performing at this year’s MidPoint Music Festival
recently came and went. Performers for this fall’s 10th anniversary MPMF
(which returns to the venues of Over-the-Rhine and Downtown Sept.
22-24) are being decided by the judging panel and touring headliners are
being booked as you read this, so expect the flow of MidPoint
information to increase over the next few weeks, with showcasing acts
being announced, as well as other details and wrinkles to this year’s
event.

One such detail is the announcement of an
exciting addition to the MidPoint venues list that will expand the
fest’s Over-the-Rhine perimeter and reinforce the festival’s presence in
the resurgent neighborhood. The School for Creative and Performing Arts
is partnering with MidPoint and offering use of its state-of-the-art
stages for all-ages music showcases and other events during MPMF. Opened
at the beginning of this school year, the K-12 arts school’s MidPoint
shows will be open to music lovers under 21.

SCPA students will also
have a chance to participate, gaining hands-on experience by assisting
with the shows’ production, design and other aspects. A program of
“master classes” featuring some of MidPoint’s performers is also in the
works.

• Cincy Indie rockers The Ready Stance
are putting the final touches on their debut album, but they’ve already
been enjoying a lot of positive feedback from those who’ve discovered
their music online as well as from some pretty well-known new fans. The
band — which features drummer Eric Moreton and guitarist Wes Pence from
local ’90s College Rock faves Middlemarch — scored quotes about its
music for its promotional materials from Talking Heads/Tom Tom Club
drummer Chris Frantz (who finishes his blurb by saying, “You will be
hearing a lot about them in the future”) and The Feelies’ Stan Demeski,
who praises the songwriting and guitar sounds. Some unexpected industry
attention has delayed the release of the album (tentatively titled Damndest),
as the members explore potential distribution strategies, but Pence
says they still hope to have it out by midsummer. But you don’t have to
wait to hear The Ready Stance’s catchy songs — the group performs a free
show Thursday at Over-the-Rhine club MOTR Pub.
(www.myspace.com/thereadystance)

• Newport-based Powerhouse Factories — renowned for its cool concert posters and an up-and-coming advertising
design firm for brands big and small — presents the Powerhouse Spring
Fling Poster Sling party Friday at its Ninth Street studios. At 6 p.m.,
Spring Fling attendees can begin browsing Powerhouse’s collection of
newer and older concert art for purchase, including recent posters for
artists like The Greenhornes and Girl Talk.

Powerhouse is offering a
“buy one, get half off another” deal on the prints, which range from
$10-$50 (framed posters start at $100). Proceeds from Friday’s free
event will go to help a friend of the firm’s, Ali Nunery, who is
battling a rare form of lung cancer. At 9 p.m., local Indie Pop duo Bad
Veins performs on the studio’s patio overlooking Newport. The band is
currently hard at work on a sophomore album, the follow-up to its 2009
self-titled debut for Dangerbird Records. (www.phfdesign.com;
www.badveins.net)